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What travelers are saying

"Chopta batch 22-26 Jan First of all I would like to say that I was forced to write the review because i saw that go hikes was not taking any responsiblity for the shortcomings of the trip and instead anyone who has spoken was removed from the whatsapp group. Some people in group had choosen harsh languages as their journey was far worse than mine, but still they should not threaten others to stop from giving the honest review. They even don't follow the written itineary. Please refer the following link for their itinieary. Https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oy8qu5-l9u5y9nc2pifuddda1seshtq1/view?usp=sharing 1. No trek guide provided for the trek to Tungnath as promissed. 2. Two trek leaders were provided but they were also first time in chopta( but go hikes team forcefully says that they were well aware of Chopta ) 3. Neither of the trek leader assisted us to peak of Chandrashilla. 4. Driver is flatly denying to go to trek starting point and trek leaders have to convince him. It is responsiblity of go hikes to explain everything in advance to the driver. 5. Vehicle was oversized to reach sari village(Deoritaal trek) and it was choosen by the experienced team of go hikes(they should have done two tempo travellers if there was such problem). Driver had valid reason to deny due to safety issue but we are glad that he took us there. But an unapologetic go hike teams reply is that they have done a favour to us by convincing the driver. 6. They promissed to show confluence of rivers in Devprayag and Rudraprayag but neither of them was covered even after complaining to trek leaders. 7. On complaining they are saying that you came down from trek late as if they had informed us earlier about some time limit. We did as per guidance by our trek leaders. I can share lots of new complains( like we got to eat dinner at 2.30 am and 6.30 am thanks to driver who chooses specific shiva dhaba only). 8. I travelled under the banner of go hikes so i am complaining to them .may be some other company had outsourced their trip to them.but while complaining they are asking to talk to personwith whom you have done the booking. No one takes ownership. Now a specific problem faced by a freind. We were to return on 26th jan 2021.he was expecting the kisaan agitation on that day. He was travelling with ladies so for safety he enquired wether it's ok to travel,in case of any problem will they assist and their response was affirmative. But he was left to face a situation where he has to deal with tear gas and stampede with a ladies on the road. I am not here to malign any company. Our overall experience was good.there were some shortcomings that i mentioned above. But the way these guys treated us after the trip is not acceptable. I have a right to complain and you need to apologize."

What travelers are saying

"Our trip started off with a lunch at Maya Gardens. We went to see the poultry in their pens while waiting for lunch, thinking it was a petting zoo. The poor birds did not have water or any indication that they ever had water. One of the turkeys was lying on it's side looking very sick. No one would give them water when I asked them to. The lunch was so awful I did not eat meat for the rest of the trip. I sent a video to Angela Bailey telling her this is not what we want to see when on a conservation trip and she acted like I was lying. Our guides were lazy and not caring about us. They took us to overpriced markets to get fleeced by the sellers there. At the anti-poaching farm tour, we had to walk over a bridge with wires on it, to keep wildlife in. One of our travelers, who was 65 years old, tripped over it and had to go to the hospital. No one warned her about the wires. Then, trying to get off the safari trucks, she was so very very sore and no guides helped her to get out of the truck. Completely appalling. The guides had very poor communication skills that worked for Discover Corps. I was forced to get vaccinated while in Kenya, because the laws changed while we were there. I asked if I could try to get out of the airport first and if I could not then get the vaccine. Discover Corps said "If you choose to do that, you are on your own". The conditions of medical in Kenya is not like the US and it was awful. The airport didn't even ask me for my vaccine card on the way out. DC could have worked with me on trying this first before forcing me to get this vaccine in a poor 3rd world country. Also, my vaccine card had the wrong date of birth and my name did not match what is on my passport. The doctor tried to get me to tip the nurse giving me the vaccine. The guides dropped us off curbside at the airport and left us there to navigate. I will NEVER use this company again. They did not have my back on anything that happened and Angela Bailey never contacted me to follow up about my experience after this trip was over."

What travelers are saying

"We were very excited about our upcoming trip to Egypt with Encounters Travel; it exceeded our expectations in every way. Islam was an outstanding guide who took excellent care of us. Our hotels, the food, the itinerary were all exceptional. Highly recommend this tour."

What travelers are saying

"We were very excited about our upcoming trip to Egypt with Encounters Travel; it exceeded our expectations in every way. Islam was an outstanding guide who took excellent care of us. Our hotels, the food, the itinerary were all exceptional. Highly recommend this tour."

What travelers are saying

"Chopta batch 22-26 Jan First of all I would like to say that I was forced to write the review because i saw that go hikes was not taking any responsiblity for the shortcomings of the trip and instead anyone who has spoken was removed from the whatsapp group. Some people in group had choosen harsh languages as their journey was far worse than mine, but still they should not threaten others to stop from giving the honest review. They even don't follow the written itineary. Please refer the following link for their itinieary. Https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oy8qu5-l9u5y9nc2pifuddda1seshtq1/view?usp=sharing 1. No trek guide provided for the trek to Tungnath as promissed. 2. Two trek leaders were provided but they were also first time in chopta( but go hikes team forcefully says that they were well aware of Chopta ) 3. Neither of the trek leader assisted us to peak of Chandrashilla. 4. Driver is flatly denying to go to trek starting point and trek leaders have to convince him. It is responsiblity of go hikes to explain everything in advance to the driver. 5. Vehicle was oversized to reach sari village(Deoritaal trek) and it was choosen by the experienced team of go hikes(they should have done two tempo travellers if there was such problem). Driver had valid reason to deny due to safety issue but we are glad that he took us there. But an unapologetic go hike teams reply is that they have done a favour to us by convincing the driver. 6. They promissed to show confluence of rivers in Devprayag and Rudraprayag but neither of them was covered even after complaining to trek leaders. 7. On complaining they are saying that you came down from trek late as if they had informed us earlier about some time limit. We did as per guidance by our trek leaders. I can share lots of new complains( like we got to eat dinner at 2.30 am and 6.30 am thanks to driver who chooses specific shiva dhaba only). 8. I travelled under the banner of go hikes so i am complaining to them .may be some other company had outsourced their trip to them.but while complaining they are asking to talk to personwith whom you have done the booking. No one takes ownership. Now a specific problem faced by a freind. We were to return on 26th jan 2021.he was expecting the kisaan agitation on that day. He was travelling with ladies so for safety he enquired wether it's ok to travel,in case of any problem will they assist and their response was affirmative. But he was left to face a situation where he has to deal with tear gas and stampede with a ladies on the road. I am not here to malign any company. Our overall experience was good.there were some shortcomings that i mentioned above. But the way these guys treated us after the trip is not acceptable. I have a right to complain and you need to apologize."

What travelers are saying

"Just got back from an incredible adventure. Bhutan was more than I could have ever expected. There was an abundance of good travel karma throughout the trip. The guide, Bhim, was great, very accommodating, and personalized the trip in many amazing ways, and though him I got to know the people and the culture close up and personal. The whole thing went off without a hitch. Bhutan was the most amazing place I have ever been."

What travelers are saying

"We were very excited about our upcoming trip to Egypt with Encounters Travel; it exceeded our expectations in every way. Islam was an outstanding guide who took excellent care of us. Our hotels, the food, the itinerary were all exceptional. Highly recommend this tour."

What travelers are saying

"First, let me say our tour guide Tomomi S. is hands down THE best tour guide I’ve ever had - knowledgeable, fun and made great efforts to ensure that we were comfortable and happy (MTSobek tour guides are independent contractors. Tomomi also works for other Adventure/Tour companies) Secondly, Japan is beautiful, clean and the Japanese people are very welcoming. The hiking in the national parks was amazing. It could have been a truly five-star experience if MtSobek had not cut corners so egregiously. The website said (at the time) group tours are 5-22 people. The tour gets canceled if the minimum is not met. When I paid there were TWO other people booked-a mother and daughter duo. Shortly before our departure date I called to see if the tour would be cancelled. I wanted my money back but Mt Sobek was “pleased to say that the trip would not be canceled”. In other words, I could not get a refund. At the last minute a guy named Matt signed up so there were four of us. Five days into the trip Matt left and took a train back to Tokyo. I said to him “You realize Mt Sobek is not going to refund you”. He said, “I don’t care, Mt Sobek scammed us.” With tax, the tour costs $11,645 for 13 nights. For that price there is an expectation that the accommodations Mt Sobek chooses would be decent and clean. We all fully expected a ‘traditional Japanese experience’ which often means no private bath and 8 out of the 13 nights we slept on futon mats on the floor. However, Mt Sobek consistently booked us in the cheapest Ryokans (hotels) in each area in which we travelled. Most of these hotels were unclean and very out-dated. One Ryokan they booked us in was listed on a hotel website for $40 USD/night when there were much nicer accommodations nearby for $100 USD/night. (The Japanese yen is way down, the luxury Park Hotel in Tokyo was $200 USD/night. A comparable hotel would have been about $800/night in Austin.). We were the only people staying in several hotels that accomadated many more people. The most egregious example of MtSobek’s booking the cheapest rooms is when we were booked at a large traditional ski lodge at the base of a spectacular mountain. It was beautiful on the website but had two very different wings. One wing was modern, clean and beautiful with simple beds. The other wing was very old (similar to a cheap Motel 6 that had not been updated since the 1970’s). The carpet and bathrooms were disgusting and like many of the Ryocans where we stayed the futon mats seemed as though they had not been cleaned In 30 years. Only after our tour guide checked us in did we realize we had been booked in the cheap rooms. I asked Tomo why. Immediately someone from MtSobek reached out to me and said, “gosh, I’m sorry you did not realize you were going to have a traditional Japanese experience”. Really? “Traditional” experience depends upon one’s budget. In the US, “traditional” to some people may be the Marriott, a Motel 6 or the Four Seasons Hotels. We were paying for a Marriott experience and received the one-star Motel 6 experience. Upon arrival in Tokyo I expected to be met at the airport by a driver (as many tour companies do). However, several days before our arrival dates in Tokyo, MtSobek sent an email telling us how to locate taking a city bus from the bustling Tokyo airport. That is interesting if you do not speak Japanese. MtSobek cleverly uses great photography and elaborate descriptions of the national parks and the hiking while using terms like “traditional Japanese experience with tatami-mat sleeping” to disguise sub-standard accommodations. At one point we were looking on-line at the very hotel where we were staying and did not even recognize it from the website pictures. The hiking was amazing. The group size was disappointing with just the three of us. I would absolutely recommend a hiking tour through Japan, just not with MtSobek."